Michael Hengler

Grad School Takes Time!

2011-01-21T23:18:00.000-08:00

A great evening to be sure! I've been gone for a while, but only from the world inside this screen. Yes, grad school has begun and I made it out of my first term alive and for the better; ) It is too tame to just say that it has been interesting - it has been life changing!

We just had our opening exhibition in which all of the grad students showed one piece that they worked on. Mine is attached here. I did a combination of glass and my first video to compliment the concept. I did not do a good enough job convincing the gallerists that they should allow me to use the smoke machine and projector, so this is how I chose to resolve it for this show. I will post the video of the way that it is supposed to be after the show is done and I can reinstall it with the smoke machine and video projector.

My statement for this piece is as follows:

Potential

Perpetually moving, in a finite fashion. Linear expanses to explore. The spaces in-between the beginning and end. The choices we make in that time. The balance of our own weight in this space. Persistence, determination, and a fragility that seems to not account for itself.
The frailty beings, and the line thins, while the push is ever forward. Finding a way in short spans. Forging on. Picking a path and never looking back. Sunshine breaking dawn, and night light breaking the days. Spinning round revolutions, on our ropes. Walking our paths. Finding our ways. Enjoying our days before our time is taken away. Questing our destinations.

Alright, that is all for tonight. I hope you've all been doing well out there. I was so slammed this past term that my blog got severely neglected. I hope to be able to at least drop a line every now and again during this term.

Aloha and mahalo for checking it out!

Blowing Borosilicate, offhand

2010-05-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

This is a demo I did at the Eugene Glass School, after the Flame-Off, 2009. Skutt Kilns brought down their Glass Master kiln - in which I think you can fit pretty close to a 100lb crucible- and melted some of Abe Fleshman's color (Northstar Glass) in it. It was a mix of Millennium Moss and Pomegranate. It was fun to play with boro, working out of a regular air-fed glory hole. Goes to show that there are always new ways to approach our wonderful medium!

Check the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5PItl9c21Y

Been a while.

2010-04-09T14:19:00.001-07:00

Hello all!

I've been busy tying down my decision for Graduate School, and am happy to say that I will be leaving for Oahu to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa! Coming from the Northland of America - Wisconsin and Minnesota - I'm not sure if I will be able to adjust to a year round average temperature of 75F, but I'll give it a shot; )

I also wanted to put up this post - an interview that was taken while Pino made his first visit to the Eugene Glass School - for which I translated.

http://kezi.com/page/83088

...and, I wanted to attach this photo from his last visit. It's been a lot of fun having him out here. Thanks to everyone that played a part in it!

Take care ya'll.

Some Venetian to help you study on Murano...

2010-01-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

This is an idea I have had since I managed to get myself into the doors of Murano: a list of vocab and phrases that are necessary to know when working in the furnaces of the island. I put this together with the help of Pino Signoretto last time he was here teaching. I hope it helps someone who has the idea of developing a Venetian glass aesthetic on their list of adventures.

In boca a lupo...

Ordini - Commands:

scaldare – to heat

scalda – heat (command)

scalda coa fiama (Muranese) = scalda con la fiamma (Italiano) –heat with the

torch

scalda da drio (M.) = da dietro (I.) – heat from the back

scalda davanti – heat from the front

scalda sul ponteo (M.) – heat the punty

scalda poco – heat a little (short period of time)

scalda a meta` - heat half

prendi poco – gather a little (lit. take a little)

metti e canne a caldo – heat the rods (put the rods up/ put some pipes in the pipe warmer)

levare – gather (lit. remove, take away)

leva vetro – gather some glass

leva poco vetro – gather a little glass

prendi abbastanza – gather enough (for the piece that I am working on; more than a little)

suppia (da suppiare) (M.) = soffia (da soffiare)(I.) = blow, and to blow

pian (M.) = piano (I.) – softly

forte – hard

spingi (da spingere) – push (from the verb to push)

vien...ven (M.) = vieni (I.) – come here!

dai (dai vien) – come on!

ciappa (M.) prendi (I.) – take it!

dai svelto, muovite – hurry up!

tocia di/ea... – passo di…– give it a roll, a pass (lit. a touch)

• per esempio: una tocia (tociai-pl.) ea polvere, foglia d’oro, d’argento, ea murrine, ea filligrana, ecc.
• for example: a pass of powder, gold leaf, silver leaf, murrini, filigrana, etc.
apri – open
cava la portesea (M.) = togliere la portina (I.) – remove the door

gira (da girare)– turn (from the verb to turn)

rinfresca la canna – cool the pipe

sera`, chiudi – close
versi la boca – to open (lit. pour/spill/shed the mouth)
metti in tempera – put it in the garage

va col speo (M.) = vai con uno speo (I.) – bring me a bit
varda (M.) – gurarda (I.) – look!
andemo (M.) = andiamo (I.) – lets go!, are we going?
pian piano! – easy, gentle, lightly (relative to short flashes, light marvering, slowing down, etc…
vai piano – go easy
fai piano – easy does it
Direzioni - Directions:
piu` - more
meno – less

destra –right

sinistra – left

su – up

giu` - down
via – move, get away, get out of the way, (lit. away)
qui/qua – here
li/la – there

da drio (M.) = da dietro (I.) – from the back, from behind

davanti – heat from the front

a fianco di..., al lato di…, - on the side of, next to

veloce – quickly

piano - relax

Descrizioni - Discriptions:

picolo (M.) = piccolo (I.) – small

medio - medium

grande – big

Ferri/ Attrezzi - Tools:

el scagno – bench

bronzin – marver

el ponteo (M.) = il pontello (I.) – punty

ea canna (M.) (grosse, fine) – rods (punty) thick, thin

el speo (s.)/ I speii (p.) – bit rod(s)

la cassa – laddle

la cassetta – little laddle

la canna con la palla – gathering ball

la borsella – jacks (lit. little pig)

tagliante dritte (piccolo, medie, grande) – straight shears (small, medium, big)

tagliante tonde (grande e piccole) – diamond shears (big and small)

pinse - tweezers

pinsette (piccolo e grande) – tweezers (small and big)

pinsette piatte – flat crimps

pinsette piatte strette – small flat crimps

pinsette coe righe – texture crimps

il taiolo (M.) = tagliolo (I.) grande e piccolo – tag (small and big)

baea` di carta (M.) = palla di carta (I.) = paper paddle

i parcioffi – parcioffi

soffietto – lit. little blower = soffietto

maiosso – block

la paeta (M.) = paleta (I.) - paddle

paeta de fero (M.) = paletta di ferro (I.) - shovel

la paeta de legno (M.) = paletta di legno (I.) – wood paddle

la pistola aria – air gun

la pistola con ossigeno – oxygen gun

la pistola a gas (granda e piccola) = fiamma –torch (big and small)

la fiamma piccola – hot torch (lit. the small flame)

la fiamma granda – the weed burner, hazard torch, bench torch (lit. the big flame)

la bombola a gas – propane tank

la bombola ossigeno – oxygen tank

temperetta – small garage

la muffola (grande o piccola) – annealer (small or big)

tempera – garage

el forno (grande, piccolo, ecc.) – glory hole (big, small, etc.)

el bruciatore – burner (for the glory hole)

el parafogo – heat shield

l’asineo (M.) = l’asinello (I.) – yolk

el masteo grando o la mastea piccola – bucket (for water) big or small

il scangneo – stand for water buckets

stampo mascheron – face mold

stampo rigardin- straight optic mold

stampo baloton (M.) – pinapple mold

stampo a costa – open mold

calibro, compasso - caliper

Tipi di Vetro e Cose a Che Fare - Types of Glass and Things to do With It:

le maccie – frit

gransioi (M.) – graniglia (I.) – frit

polvere - powder

curisiol (M.) – crogiolo (I.) - crucible

la vasca di cristallo, di blu, di rosso, ecc – the furnace with clear, blue, red, etc…
ea portesea (M.) = la portina, porticina – the door (of the furnace, glory hole, etc.)
cristao (M.) = cristallo (I.) = clear glass
Parti del Corpo - Body Parts:
el pie (M.) = il piede (I.) – foot
ea man (M.) = la mano (I.) – hand
ea testa (M.) = la testa (I.) – head
el dorso (M.) = il torso (I.) – torso/ upper body
brassi (M.) = il braccio (I.) - arm
la gamba – leg
ocio` (M.) = l’occhio (I.) – eye
ocio`! – pay attention!
bocca (M.) = la boca (I.) – mouth
I denti – teeth
pei (M.) = peli (I.) – skin
recie (M.) = orrechie (I.) – ears
I deo(singolare)/ tanti dei(plurale)(M.) = il dito(s.)/ la dita(p.)(I.)– finger, toe/fingers, toes
deii de i pie (M.) = dita dei piedi (I.) – toes
dei de e man (M.) = dita delle mani – fingers
senocio (M.) = il ginocchio (I.) – knee
fianco – hip
pansa (M.) = pancia/stomoco (I.) – stomach
schiena – back
spaea (M.) = spalla (I.) = shoulder
coio (M.) = collo (I.) – neck
cavei (M.) = capelli (I.) – hair
le tette – tits, boobs
il seno - breast
il petto – chest, bosom
coa (M.) = coda (I.) – tail
satie (M.) = zampe, scarpe, zoccolo (I.) – paw, shoe, hoof

Cultura/ Espressioni – Culture/ Expressions:

tiga i morti cani, i morti cani, ecc. – (lit. do you have dead dogs?!) This expression refers to a time in which the Venitian nobels were the only ones that were allowed to be buried because there was a limited amount of space on the islands of the Venetian Lagoon. In spite of this fact, the nobles had their dogs killed and buried with them, too. So, the expression is a reference to the disgust that the commoners had toward those that believed themselves to be more worthy because of class distinction.
example: Tiga i morti cani?! = You’ve got dead dogs?! = You think you’re
better than me?! = (insert expletive here: mother _____, ____head, etc.)
montare/salire – to get on/in, to go/come up, to rise
far coasion (M.) = fare colazione (I.) – to have breakfast
andemo a pissar (M.) = andiamo a fare la pipi` = let’s go take a piss!
andemo cagar in cesso (M.) – let’s go shit in the outhouse!
andiamo ad evacuare (I.) – let’s go to evacuate
cao de merda – chiefly Venetian = cao is the end of the rope on the old Venetian ships that was frayed, with which they would wipe the butts after shitting in the water. So, it is like calling someone an “asswipe.”

Brindisi Veneziano:

Alziamo il bicchier.
Facciamo cin cin!
Brindiam, brindiam, tutto el mondo fa cin cin.
Sollevando il bicchiere di vin,
I sa morti chi non fa el saltin!
Cin, cin!

Venetian Cheers:

Let’s raise our glasses.
Let’s make a toast!
Cheers, cheers, the whole world is cheersing!
Raising your glass of wine,
Death to ye, if you don’t get off your behind…
Cheers!!!

East Coast and Cold

2010-01-17T18:14:00.000-08:00

Just got back from an East Coast adventure. I checked out some graduate programs in glass. I've turned in most of the applications, but there are a couple that I've got to finish up this week.

In the meantime I'm going to get back in the shop and get as much work done as I can before Pino gets back in town this coming Saturday. He'll be teaching another workshop with us.

It's good to be back in temperate Eugene!

2010-01-17T17:59:00.000-08:00

This is a quick video of one of my more recent pieces. It measures 14" x 8" x 22.5". The yellow tubes exit and enter the mind and heart area of the man. The union of the two areas is the clear disc into which the fluid from within the figure flows; this is representative of the fluid that provides life and is viewed clearly through this soul-port.

Third Eye Electric

2010-01-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

I'm writing out of Scranton, PA. I'm here on a detour from my academic expeditions. I just got done looking at the difference between what is, and what is understood in the reality of RISD. The school has been ranked either the top or second best art school for the past thirty years. I got to see, over the past couple days, how it has come to attain that status, although that didn't suffice in completing my understanding, and I suppose that is what the the $36,000./ year tuition is all about.

Anyway, I've got burning eyes, maybe from being on the road today. I wanted to get up this clip of the third eye plasma piece that I've had posted, only as a photo, but now as a video clip. Check it out, let me know what you think.

Snow on the road today. I hope the drive back into Philly is clear.

Headed down to Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, on Sunday. I'll try and check in some more before this trip's end...

Sogni d'oro tutti!

Solo Exhibition - "Introspections and Explorations"

2009-12-20T16:03:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a quick report given by one of the local news channels on the opening night of my solo exhibition:

http://www.kval.com/news/local/79706747.html?video=YHI&t=a

The show went well. I'll attach more info as it comes in.

PLASMA!

2009-12-05T15:48:00.001-08:00

This is my first successful try at a plasma encasement. The yogi in lotus position is encased in the clear bell-housing. Inside of this is krypton and neon gas. And, inside of the yogi's head is an encased piece of copper rod. There is an electrode attached behind the seated man, and that charges the gas and creates an activated and interactively lit piece.

The effect that I was going for with the copper in the head, was that it would attract the excited particles to the area where I placed it: the third eye of the yogi. Unfortunately, there was either not enough mass to attract the plasma, or it was seated too deeply in the head. Instead of a very direct draw to the third eye, the result is instead a very general and all covering effect around the head, which is still interesting, but not exactly what I wanted.
This is my next design. I still wanted to see the effect happen that I was going for in the first piece, so I altered my approach. Instead of working solid, I decided to blow the head and place it over the electrode. In this way, the lighting is initiated from the neck and it travels up the head, wherein it resides until it finds the hole that I put in the third eye location, so that it will escape from there. It then enters the bell-housing in which it begins to really whip around and create a very satisfying lighting effect. I am happy with the way this one came out! )
This is the last design I worked on for this plasma series. Here I decided to get rid of the housing, and let the heads themselves be the container in which the gasses would be held. I opened a hole in both of their mouths, and sealed their lips together, maintaining their holes open, so that the light will travel from one head to the other, through the lips.

The overall experimentation with this idea has been very satisfying to have finally accomplished this goal that I set out to accomplish about five years ago, but, it is a fairly laborious process with a lot of technical frustrations. I need to revise a couple of key points before I return to it.

I will, in my next post, attach some video of what these look like lit up.

Time in Oahu

2009-11-23T22:03:00.000-08:00

We walked down an empty lot that is waiting to be bought for the low, low price of $3,000,000.! This is a sheer cliff upon which the water pounded relentless waves that sprayed the ocean air around us.

We checked out a Pro Surfing Competition in Haleiwa, HI - the surfing capital of the world. The swells were pretty mellow, they told me, compared to other times of the year.

This is (from L to R) me, Brett, and Flynn. We just got done eating at Duke's, drinking an Hawaiian Iced Tea, and are at Waikiki Beach to soak up a little sun. Flynn and I went out scuba diving on this morning. We went to 105 feet and 40 feet. We got to see a sunken airplane from 1946 at the first sight, and we dove to a volcanic crater with some very large sea turtles at the other site. My last Hawaiian sunset...

These are a few shots from my trip to Hawaii. It was interesting to experience a land that -at first appearance- seems to be all-American, but as time passes, it shows itself to be something more than that: a cultural enigma. The 600 square mile island left me feeling like I understood less about it after my week's trip, than I did before I came. My interactions with the indigenous islanders were very open and welcoming. Aloha seems to be alive and well in its cultural circles, but beyond that reach, I am not so sure how well it is thriving.

"In Search of..." and "Doorways, Edges, and Decisions"

2009-11-16T11:15:00.000-08:00

Here's some of my recent work. It's a combo of lampworked 96 that I keep at temp in the garage, and furnace glass.

I'm on my way to Portland right now to catch a flight to Oahu, so I will update when I get a second, but I just wanted to get these pix up. Aloha!

Visit from Milon Townsend

2009-11-16T11:06:00.001-08:00

Milon just came to do a one day workshop on the figure - torchworking - and five days on silicone mold making and kiln casting. It was an extremely educational experience having someone of Milon's expertise around to share his knowledge. I was fortunate enough to be his TA for the classes. In the photo you see me thanking the master for his offering of expert information.

"Come Sit in My Garden"

2009-11-15T14:57:00.000-08:00

This piece is part of a series that I've been working with - coloring the back of the glass and letting it be affected by the optics of the clear sculpted glass in front of it.

The seated woman is surrounded by flowers and is offering something sweet to the viewer.

This work talks about the sweet temptation of love, though it is not offered without risk.)

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2009-11-08T08:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess it is better to keep doing now and sleep later. I keep thinking that it is the middle of the week, not the weekend because I'm a TA for Milon Townsend right now and I'm working full days down at the Eugene Glass School.

My coffee tastes good this morning. The leftover Ahi didn't taste as well as I had hoped (my stomach is still a little worked from a bad burrito I ate yesterday.)

Anyway, getting to the matter at hand, I'm trying to make a point of posting something up to my blog with a regular frequency. This is a piece I made for the girls up at gafferglassusa.com. They've been more than kind in helping me along my way, so this was a thank you to them for their help. It is made with Gaffer's new Red Lustre. It is a transparent red with some reactive silver in it that gives it a fumed effect of blues, greens and yellows.

"Bush-league Savoir-faire"

2009-11-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

I made this piece post Hurricane Katrina. There is a trapped, nameless victim inside the glass container that is covered up to his neck with dirty motor oil. The back of the container has the state of Louisiana on it. The top of the vessel is the swirling mass of clouds of the hurricane. All of this is resting on the shoulders of the Republican Elephant - a statement about the egregious handling of the matter by the Bush administration and a memorial to those that suffered because of this.

Redefining the Vase - Dialog Vases

2009-11-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

It isn't often that I find myself trying to make what has already been made, or a replica of pieces previously made. I've been trying to balance what I've considered to be my motto in glass for years - to never make the same piece twice - with the benefit of working in a series. There is definitely something to be said for proficiency through repetition, so I try not to under play it's importance, rather I work to balance it's use to create a refined piece. Once I feel as though I've executed the piece proficiently, it is time for me to move on to the next idea.

These vases are an example of this process. I made about three prototypes in clear to figure out the problems in the process, without committing my time and money to the color and the color prep. Then, once my assistants and I figured out most of the problems, I made five of these in various shapes and positions.

I like the idea of redefining what has been with a new perspective and approach. These pieces are sculptures, but are functional for those of us who love to find more of a purpose in what we buy than just observing the object. )

"Drunken Elephant"

2009-10-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

This is a piece I had fun making during a visit from Karren and Jason Willenbrink-Johnson. It is always a pleasure to see people work together as proficiently and smoothly as these two do.

It was interesting: in a conversation by Pino during one of his workshops he held at our school (that I was translating,) he came out and said that he was proud to say that Karren had surpassed him as an artist! WOW, what a compliment! It was a moment for everyone to acknowledge that the greatest sculptor of all time admitted that one of his former students had become a better master than himself. It gave us all something to believe in and shoot for.

"My Lady on the Water"

2009-10-29T22:47:00.000-07:00

This is part of the series in which I've been developing this idea of creating a scenery to help describe the emotions evoked by the images/objects I create. It's rewarding to be able to make something - to be able to transfer my energy into something tangible - but it is rewarding to be able to take that something and create a narrative, or evoke an emotion. This is what I strive to do in my work! If I don't move someone to feel something, be it that they hate or love it, I don't feel as though I've succeeded in doing what I set out to accomplish: to move the viewer to think and feel more than they were before seeing my piece.

"Volando Per i Nuvoli"

2009-10-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note before I head to bed. This is part of a series that I've been working on in which I've been composing background scenes that give a setting to the subject of the composition. This one - "Flying through the Clouds" - is about the beauty of having found a girl that I love and the emotions that our relationship evokes within me: the sensation of flight! Ah, to love and be loved - when it's good, it's great! I've got my girl Heidi to thank for some of the more wonderful 11 months that I've spent in my life.

Just a shout out to Doreen Garner!

2009-10-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

Thank you for suggesting that I should get this page up Doreen! I'm digging it so far. It's kind of nice to have a line out, accessible to the
world!

This is the series of graduated Ganesha style goblets that were inspired by a commission from one of my yoga instructors. The smallest is about the average height of a wine glass, and the biggest is about two feet tall. I had the pleasure of embarking on this series with one of my very faithful and insightful assistants - Jay Wright. Thanks for everything Jay, your help has been immeasurable!!!

Just a quickie! )

2009-10-27T11:05:00.001-07:00

This is the prototype to a series of Elephant Goblets that I made. I will post those later, but in an effort to stay up on this world of blogging, I'm putting this up now.

Off into the spray-bottle rain of Eugene, OR!

Back at it!

2009-10-26T23:41:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to add to this page to get some work up for all y'all to see. I'm in between moving out of my old place and picking up Miriam di Fiore from the airport, which I am supposed to have done right now, but she just called from Seattle - her plane had some issues and she's not sure when she's going to be getting in. We have a five day workshop with her down at the school, starting on Wednesday. I'll try and put up some pix from that.

In the meantime, here's is a shot of my rendition of a design by Pino that he made a few times while I was there, and that has been replicated many times over on the island. He calls it "Amanti - Lovers," and I call it "Homage to Pino."

I got the call, so I'm on the run. I guess that's today's installment.

...continuation of previous post

2009-10-25T22:12:00.001-07:00

I thought that this was all going very smoothly, until now. It seems as though I've maxed-out on my megabyte allowance, or something? I can't seem to post any more pictures right now, so I guess this is the end of my first day of daily blogging. Sure has been a good time. Looking forward to the next time...

Sogni d'oro tutti!

Just posting away. Feeling the flow.

2009-10-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

I've heard it gets easier as you go - sho'nuf!

This was an installation that I assisted on while living and working on Murano. It was a projected headed by Pino Signoretto. We had to make about 400 pieces for this work, each of which was then cut in half and assembled onto a structure constructed by a team of engineers. The largest components of the 400 were "feathers" pulled out to 15 feet in length.

Getting used to it, yesss!!!

2009-10-25T21:18:00.001-07:00

Ok, ok, it's not so bad. Patience may, in fact, be the key to happiness, as I was once told by a very special fortune cookie!

These are some pieces that I made for Gaffer to exemplify some of the possible colors that you can get out of their version of an old Italian formula - Calcedonia. They call their recipe Chalcedony. It is a tricky color, but it has a lot of versatility. Check out this link if you'd like to read the "User Guide" that I wrote for them: http://gaffergirlspyroreport.blogspot.com/

Yo, this is supposed to be easy. What the...: )

2009-10-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sure it'll come clearer, but, in the meantime I'm going to have to keep stumbling into solutions. Here is another shot of some of my work.

This is lampworked borosilicate. I made this sculpture of Dante in 2007 as part of my final paper for my Italian Literature degree that I completed at the University of Oregon. I had the pleasure of studying under Professor Gina Psaki, who let me integrate my passions and work in glass with my Italian Literature studies.

The image on the top is the death mask of Dante, the center is a profile painting of him, both of which I used as references for my work. I also worked off of Gustav Dore`'s illustrations of the Divine Comedy.

This figure is part of a larger project that will depict the whole opening scene in which Dante descends a hill, chased by three "beasts", back into the dark valley - the most lonely and desperate moment of the Inferno for Dante.

My First Blog

2009-10-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess it had to happen sometime. For me, it is now: my first interactive web-based page! Alright, welcome. I'm here to show you what I've been up to, and am happy to hear what you think about it. I'm going to be building on this as the learning curve eases. In the meantime, enjoy!